Wednesday, November 16, 2011

What does Obama's change look like?

What’s new today

Our # 1 story is talking about the electability of Newt Gingrich.#2 has Obama telling us we are beginning to see what change looks like.#3 through #5 are about the Occupy movement from how OWS fits with the left, to the question of freedom of speech and the Occupy movement to how it looks to be ending in New York.#6 has VP Biden congratulating the Unions for firing the first shot.I thought it was that kind of talk that got a shooter crazed enough to shoot Rep. Gifford in Arizona.#7 is another article about major problems in China while our last story is about a woman’s gaydar accuracy.

1.Is Newt electable? Hell, yes!

As the debates accumulate, it becomes more and more evident that Newt Gingrich’s intellect, experience, articulateness and depth of knowledge elevate him to the top of the GOP field. ANYONE SHOULD BE HAPPY TO PAY ADMISSION TO WATCH HIM DUEL WITH PRESIDENT OBAMA IN DEBATE! He’s not as charismatic as Herman Cain or as smooth as Mitt Romney, but boy, does he have a brain!

Ever since the campaign started, Newt has always gotten in his own way. Now he has graciously stepped aside and let his creativity and intellect shine through.

Earlier in the debates, he bit the questioners’ heads off in a pique of surly crankiness. No longer. NOW HE JUST ANSWERS THE QUESTIONS AS THEY COME, OFTEN HITTING THEM OUT OF THE BALLPARK. His perspective and insights are penetrating and his condescension has vanished (or at least is sublimated).

Unfortunately, he does owe some of his current surge to the unsubstantiated and vague charges against Cain. While Republicans generally dismiss these charges, they worry that they will hurt him in November should he win the nomination. Herman will recover. His positive solutions for our economy will lift him back into the top tier of contention. Michele Bachmann might also come back, lifted by a tide of opposition to any tax increases embedded in the deficit-reduction supercommittee’s recommendations.

But any recovery by Cain or Bachmann will not bump Newt from the top tier. The likely result of the debate process is to bequeath to Iowa three or four contending candidates and leave it to them to sort out.

IF NEWT IS THE CANDIDATE, WILL HIS PERSONAL BAGGAGE DRAG HIM DOWN? IT WILL HURT, no doubt about that. His marriages will be dissected by the media, and his family will be deluged with questions and well-laid traps.

His ratings will decline as the inevitable baptism of fire begins. As with Cain, he will experience a few bad weeks. But, as with Cain, his positive strengths will carry him through the fire and he will come out the other end.

BUT ONCE NEWT SURVIVES THE PROCESS, HE WILL BE INOCULATED AGAINST THE CHARGES. He will have immunity against the issue.

And here is the core of Obama’s problem. ALL OF THE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES WILL BE SO THOROUGHLY VETTED — AND PURIFIED — BY THE BRUTAL PROCESS THEY ARE GOING THROUGH THAT THEY WILL BE IMMUNE TO HIS CHARGES AGAINST THEM IN THE FALL….

Obama was never really vetted.His weaknesses were ignored, but they can’t be this coming election.Obama will be on the defensive and when he goes on the offensive he will sound like shrill and desperate.Gingrich will eat him alive.

2.What Change Looks Like

Obama in Hawaii gave a speech with the following quotation:

“That was what the campaign was about — the belief that the more Americans succeed, the more America succeeds. We knew it wouldn’t come easy, we knew it wasn’t going to come quickly, but three years later, because of what you did in 2008, WE’VE ALREADY STARTED TO SEE WHAT CHANGE LOOKS LIKE.”

Since the president raised the issue himself, WHY DON’T WE SKETCH OUT WHAT “CHANGE LOOKS LIKE” under the stewardship of Obama. Some of the highlights:

* A MISERY INDEX THAT IS AT A 28-YEAR HIGH.

*America’s CREDIT RATING DOWNGRADED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN AMERICAN HISTORY.

* A STANDARD OF LIVING FOR AMERICANS THAT HAS FALLEN FURTHER and more steeply over the past three years than at any time since the government began recording it five decades ago.

* AN UNEMPLOYMENT RATE THAT NOW STANDS AT 9.0 PERCENT. October marks the 33rd consecutive month in which the unemployment rate was above the 8 percent level that the Obama administration said it would not exceed as a result of his stimulus program. And 28 out of the last 30 months has seen unemployment at 9.0 percent or above — the longest stretch of high unemployment since the Great Depression.

* Obama is now on track to have the WORST JOBS RECORD OF ANY PRESIDENT in the modern era.

* The SHARE OF THE ELIGIBLE POPULATION HOLDING A JOB has reached its lowest level since July 1983.

This is an excellent article which I highly recommend you read in full.Who have been hurt the most in the past three years?The poor, the weak and the defenseless.

3.Occupy Wall Street Mirrors the Left

The failure of the Occupy Wall Street movement and its descent into Lord of the Flies-style chaos, and in many instances thuggery and criminality, IS EMBLEMATIC OF THE DRAMATIC DECLINE OF THE LEFT IN THE UNITED STATES. The ragtag encampments that President Obama earlier described as expressing “the frustrations that the American people feel”, are now being swept from the streets of New York, Oakland, Portland, and across America, no doubt to great applause from locals who have had to put up for weeks with unsanitary tent cities on their doorstep. NANCY PELOSI SHOULD NOW BE EATING HER WORDS AFTER HAVING DECLARED IN OCTOBER “God bless them, for their spontaneity. It’s independent… it’s young, it’s spontaneous, and it’s focused. And it’s going to be effective.”

The downfall of Occupy Wall Street mirrors A BROADER MALAISE ON THE AMERICAN LEFT. Just three years after the election of the “hope and change” president, LIBERALISM IN AMERICA IS IN A STATE OF CRISIS. A recent Gallup poll shows just one in five Americans (21 percent) calling themselves liberal. This compares to 42 percent who are self-described conservatives. After an historic mid-term election victory, Republicans now control the House of Representatives, and are in a very strong position to retake the Senate in 2012. PRESIDENT OBAMA IS NOW ONE OF THE MOST UNPOPULAR PRESIDENTS IN MODERN US HISTORY at this stage of his presidency, with approval ratings struggling to climb above the low 40’s, and with 73 percent of Americans believing the nation is moving down “the wrong track”. His big government agenda has proved a disaster, with recent Gallup polling showing 57 per cent of Americans with “little or no confidence in the federal government to solve domestic problems”. Massive bailouts, excessive public spending and heavy borrowing have fueled the biggest budget deficit since World War Two, pushing the United States onto an economic precipice….

Why is it the left always seems to feel entitled to rampage and commit violence when they are frustrated?

4.Occupy Wall Street First Amendment Right

…In the history of the U.S. Supreme Court, ONLY ONE JUSTICE IS REMEMBERED AS A FIRST AMENDMENT "ABSOLUTIST." THAT WAS JUSTICE HUGO BLACK. During oral argument, WHENEVER AN ADVOCATE URGED AN INTERPRETATION REQUIRING A LIMITATION ON SPEECH, JUSTICE BLACK WOULD REMOVE HIS 10‐CENT COPY OF THE CONSTITUTION FROM HIS POCKET, AND ASK THE LAWYER TO READ THE WORDS OF THE FIRST AMENDMENT. WHEN THE LATTER REACHED THE PHRASE "NO LAW," JUSTICE BLACK WOULD QUIETLY SAY "THANK YOU" and pronounce the matter closed. For him, if an issue dealt with expression, no limitation could be imposed.

But even this First Amendment absolutist DREW A SHARP DISTINCTION BETWEEN EXPRESSION AND CONDUCT. In Brown v. Louisiana, the court dealt with an incident where a group of black men visited a public library and tried to take out books, to draw attention to the separate facilities made available for blacks and whites. After being told that the books they requested were unavailable, they refused to leave and were arrested for breach of the peace. Justice Black had little difficulty disposing of their First Amendment appeal:

The First Amendment, I think protects speech, writings, and expression of views in any manner in which they can be legitimately and validly communicated. BUT I HAVE NEVER BELIEVED THAT IT GIVES ANY PERSON OR GROUP OF PERSONS THE CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO GO WHEREVER THEY WANT, WHENEVER THEY PLEASE, WITHOUT REGARD TO THE RIGHTS OF PRIVATE OR PUBLIC PROPERTY OR TO STATE LAW. ... Though the First Amendment guarantees the right of assembly and the right of petition along with the rights of speech, press, and religion, IT DOES NOT GUARANTEE TO ANY PERSON THE RIGHT TO USE SOMEONE ELSE'S PROPERTY, EVEN THAT OWNED BY GOVERNMENT AND DEDICATED TO OTHER PURPOSES, AS A STAGE TO EXPRESS DISSIDENT IDEAS….

Some interesting history here regarding the first amendment.If you don’t have Hugo Black on your side, you don’t have a case.

5.It’s Come to This: Media Now Outnumber Protesters at Zuccotti Park

You’ve got to wonder whether the editors of the New York Daily News pay attention to their own website. Today we see a link reading OWS spreads across the United States carrying a bunch of undated photos. THIS ENTIRE “MOVEMENT” HAS LARGELY BEEN MISREPRESENTED BY THE MEDIA AS “SWEEPING THE NATION” AND A “WORLDWIDE MOVEMENT” WHEN IT’S NOTHING BUT A CLUMSY LEFTWING MOVEMENT AIDED AND ABETTED BY THE DEMOCRATS AND UNIONS. Now that many of these Obamavilles have been swept up by Democrat mayors, only scattered remnants remain. And in the same NYDN today we get the live account and the stunning reality their movement has crumbled:…

“FOLKS, YOU FIRED THE FIRST SHOT. It's not about Barack Obama. It’s not about Joe Biden. It’s about whether middle-class people are going to be put back in the saddle again – because you are the people who make this country move," Vice President Joe Biden said at a campaign event in Ohio today.

Wasn’t it the Democrats who chided Sarah Palin for her Target sign for certain democratic held districts claiming it was inciting violence?“Firing the first shot????”It sounds like the pot is speaking.

7.China going Bankrupt?

China’s economy has a reputation for being strong and prosperous, but ACCORDING TO A WELL-KNOWN CHINESE TELEVISION PERSONALITY THE COUNTRY’S GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT IS GOING IN REVERSE.

Larry Lang, chair professor of Finance at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said in a lecture that he didn’t think was being recorded that THE CHINESE REGIME IS IN A SERIOUS ECONOMIC CRISIS—ON THE BRINK OF BANKRUPTCY. In his memorable formulation: every province in China is Greece.

The restrictions Lang placed on the Oct. 22 speech in Shenyang City, in northern China’s Liaoning Province, included no audio or video recording, and no media. He can be heard saying that people should not post his speech online, or “everyone will look bad,” in the audio that is now on Youtube

In the unusual, closed-door lecture, Lang gave a frank analysis of the Chinese economy and the censorship that is placed on intellectuals and public figures. “WHAT I’M ABOUT TO SAY IS ALL TRUE. BUT UNDER THIS SYSTEM, WE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO SPEAK THE TRUTH,” HE SAID.

Despite Lang’s polished appearance on his high-profile TV shows, he said: “Don’t think that we are living in a peaceful time now. Actually the media cannot report anything at all. Those of us who do TV shows are so miserable and frustrated, because we cannot do any programs. As long as something is related to the government, we cannot report about it.”

I’ve posted a number of stories about troubles in China.It is becoming more evident, China has some serious issues it has to deal with.

8.Gaydar’ Accuracy Varies With Women’s Fertility Cycle

LADIES: IS YOUR “GAYDAR” OFF? Could you swear that guy was straight, only to later see him smooching with his same-sex soul mate?

Don’t fret about it. IT MAY SIMPLY BE THE WRONG TIME OF THE MONTH.

According to a study just published in the journal Psychological Science,WOMEN ARE SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER AT JUDGING MALE SEXUAL ORIENTATION AS THEY APPROACH PEAK FERTILITY. A research team led by University of Toronto psychologist Nicholas Rule also found romantic thoughts heighten women’s ability to discriminate between gay and straight men….